The Price We Pay
by Nysrina
Summary: (A/U) A spell cast for evil and a costly cure. No one really wins in the end.
1. No Price Too Dear

**Disclaimer:** I own only the twins, and mind you, they are a scary bunch.

**Author's note:** Response to Kat Lady's Random Monthly Challenge at Dokuga, 'Witch Doctor' theme in 2009. This one grew six legs and ran away from me! I exceeded the maximum word count by forty words initially, but managed to chop it down somewhat. The flow feels… umm… choppy because of that. I sure hope I've delivered what the challenge asked for! Bleargh.

The half-brothers' relationship is a lot warmer here. In this universe, there is no difference between the life-span of youkai, hanyou and humans, just that youkai & hanyou have superior faculties and physical endurance. (Hey! I'm the author, right?)

Where's the SessKag-ness, you ask? That which is not obvious is implied. Enjoy!

**Word count:** 1500 (narrative only)

**Summary: (A/U)** A spell cast for evil and a costly cure. No one really wins in the end.

* * *

**No Price Too Dear**

Lady Kagome was known for her warm disposition. Yet, that changed a few months after she wedded the hanyou prince. At first, she became more introspective and withdrawn, sometimes unresponsive to questions and comments. Then her appetite diminished and she became thin, haggard. Afterwards came the nightmares; she woke up screaming and gibbering in the wee hours, rousing the mostly-youkai denizens of the palace, including the king himself. The nightmares spilled into the daytime and Lady Kagome would be seized by sudden panic, crying and screaming, before fleeing from horrors only she could see.

The royal family was understandably worried, for a few reasons. Lady Kagome is distantly related to Lady Izayoi, the reigning king's human stepmother; she is also Izayoi's favourite attendant, sent to the palace at nine years old. As she grew into adulthood, Lady Kagome and the hanyou prince, Inuyasha, fell in love and were subsequently married.

The king summoned healers skilled in all manners of arts – youkai, hanyou and human alike – to cure his sister-in-law, but there was little any of them could do. In the end, it was a young priest who revealed the source of their distress. He discovered a bronze mirror amongst Lady Kagome's belongings which emitted faint traces of magic, cunningly woven into the metal. But try as he might, the priest could not break the spell; it was old magic, beyond his experience. However, he knew of others who could possibly help.

"In the northern islands, there are sisters with great powers. It is said that they are skilled in arcane knowledge that most have forgotten. But, my Lord, the cost of their service is great..."

"Thank you for your assistance, houshi-sama," Lady Izayoi murmured. Though her hand rested on Inuyasha's shoulder, her gentle eyes gazed anxiously at the deceptively calm visage of Sesshoumaru. Stepmother she may be, but the king was a son of her heart, even if he was not a son of her womb.

_Mothers,_ Sesshoumaru observed, feeling the weight of those soft loving eyes, _are the same no matter the species. Such infallible instincts._

* * *

"I should go, Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha said. "Not you."

"You will act as regent while I am gone," Sesshoumaru said quietly, holding Inuyasha's gaze. "You will see that no other harm comes to Lady Kagome."

In that moment, Inuyasha understood what Sesshoumaru never said or showed. Mutely, Inuyasha fell to his knees, movements stiff and formal, formed a triangle with his fingers and lowered his head before Sesshoumaru's tabi-clad feet. _Must you be so damned honourable, ani-ue?_

* * *

Weeks of travel finally brought him to his destination.

Somewhere within the cave, an unsteady fire burned, throwing silhouettes against the curtain that hung from wooden frames across the opening. A shadow detached itself from its wavering, dancing brethren and moved forward. The shadow walked on two legs, helped by a staff, had a disproportionate wedge-shaped body and two heads. _What in the world…?_

The curtain of tattered fabric was twitched aside to reveal two women, twins joined at the waist, sharing a pair of legs for their two torsos. They have beautiful, fine features set in oval faces. One had white hair and shiny black eyes that missed nothing. The other had black hair but her eyes were blind, irises shrouded with milky white film. The women wore nothing but a long coarse skirt, ragged blouses and strings of beads and bones upon each neck, as if the cold climate did not affect them in the least.

Sesshoumaru tossed the polished bronze mirror at their bare feet.

"My sister-in-law became ill because of this. A priest told me that you have the skills to undo this magic," Sesshoumaru said with quiet imperiousness.

The women knelt, and the white-haired twin picked up the mirror with a grace that was at odds with their deformity, caressing its surface almost lovingly. The sightless, black-haired one lifted up a hand, palm outward. Slowly, she clenched her fist and Sesshoumaru found himself unable to move, breathe or think_._ When the woman spoke, her melodious voice sounded loud and hollow to his ears.

"Manners, manners. Tsk, you come here demanding that we do this and that, with such arrogance too," the dark-headed sister said. She spoke in measured, cultured tones. "The first of the dog spirits, your ancestor, was created and tamed by the likes of us,_ koinu_. You may be lord and master in your petty province, but here, we rule all that lie between sky and earth, and we command all that crawl in the shadow realms between earth and hell. _Here_, we are god and it would serve you well to remember that you come from nothing but a four-legged cur."

The blind one slowly unclenched her fist and bit by bit, Sesshoumaru's senses returned to him. Once fully restored, he snarled his displeasure, hand gripping the hilt of his blade. The woman closed her hand loosely, stilling the youkai king's movements again.

"Every heartbeat you waste yapping and growling at us is one heartbeat wasted for your _beloved _sister-in-law. Save her or kill her, O King?"

Long minutes passed as Sesshoumaru's grappled with his pride and anger. At length, he grounded out between clenched teeth, "Save her. Please."

The twins smiled, revealing gleaming teeth and released him from their hold.

"Then, do sit down," the twins gestured with four arms. "Our price is steep. We may ask for your eyesight, so that I can see. Or we may demand your voice, because my sister has none. Or we may want your most precious memories or half of your lifespan. Or we may bind your lust to ours, so you can slake our desires..." The women leaned forward and smirked at Sesshoumaru's revulsion. "Would you pay then, Lord of the Dogs?"

He nodded curtly, without hesitation. The black-haired twin laughed, a tinkling sound.

"Why do you do this for her, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"It is my duty to her."

The twins sneered knowingly, unimpressed with his false declaration.

"Such a soul she has, poor Lady Kagome. So enormous, so pure. Had she been a lesser creature, she would have been dead already."

"What is wrong with her?" Voice devoid of haughtiness, there was only genuine worry in his question.

"Someone wants her to suffer so greatly before they kill her. They wish to break _you_, and send your house into chaos."

"She and my half-brother love one another. Surely it is him that they mean to harm."

"But it is not your half-brother who sits before us today," the tone was light, derisive. The woman whispered words in a dead language and blew onto the mirror. Each twin took hold of the mirror with one hand and broke it easily as if it was made of wafer instead of metal. There was a sudden surging wind in the cave, causing the flames to gutter alarmingly, and the air was filled with whispers and hisses, coming from everywhere. "There, it is done."

A regal eyebrow arched upwards in disbelief. The twin who could speak laughed coldly.

"The spell binding her is broken, but her recovery will take time."

"Do you have nothing to aid her?"

"We do." An arm reached out, elongated and plucked a fine celadon flask from its niche in the stone wall. "She will have to finish this, a mouthful a day."

"The one who delivered the spell… I ask you to return the same to the sender. I want him or her to _suffer_ like the lady did."

"Done." Dangling the flask tauntingly from a slender hand, the woman said, "Now, our payment…"

Outside, the cold wind howled for hours, mournfully.

They were the longest hours in Sesshoumaru's life.

Sesshoumaru woke up the next day, lying in the dappled shade of trees. It took him weeks to reach the twins, yet they could spirit him back in a matter of hours. The air was warm and sweet. He knew he was not far from home but, Kami, he was in such _agony_. He tried to rise but it was too much, even for him. The world shifted, blurred and turned black again.

They found him a short distance away from the castle walls, unconscious.

His face was caked with dried blood - one eye gone – and all that remained of his left arm was a partially healed stump. In his right hand, he clutched a flask tightly. When they laid him down gently in the infirmary, he woke up long enough to issue garbled instructions with regards to the flask and its contents. Relinquishing the precious flask to a distraught Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru sank back into the pillows, comatose once more.

That night, Inuyasha stole into the infirmary and knelt at the feet of his sleeping half-sibling. For a long time, he simply stared at the ruin Sesshoumaru had become. Shoulders bowed under the weight of debt, gratitude, guilt and grief, the hanyou prince pressed his face into his palms and screamed silently


	2. What Price, Honour?

**Disclaimer:** I own only the twins, and mind you, they are a scary bunch.

* * *

**What Price, Honour?**

In public, she was always 'My Lady', as decreed by court decorum. In private, especially in _this_ private hell of his, her warm scent, mingling with her sorrow and distress for his state, made him forget that he was lord of a vast domain. In private, where there was no one to see or hear, he called to her to soothe his pain… like he did when he was a child. His internal clock told him that he had been unconscious for about three days; he was sore from inactivity and his wounds _hurt._

"Mother…"

The soft baritone plea called forth fresh tears in Lady Izayoi's eyes. Dabbing the edge of her eyes with the hem of her sleeve, the princess ran her fingers through the bangs on Sesshoumaru's forehead.

"I'm here, Sesshoumaru," she said gently, cupping her stepson's strong jaw. To Sesshoumaru's fuzzy vision, his late sire's second queen consort looked older than her forty-six years – eyes tired from lack of rest, mouth turned down at the corners with anxiety. "Would you care for some water?"

At his weak nod, Lady Izayoi carefully spooned some cool water into his dry mouth. Sesshoumaru noted that, apart from his stepmother's scent, the next strongest scent was Inuyasha's.

"Inuyasha was here?" he whispered between sips.

"He spent the first night in the healing quarters with you, did you know? I've only just sent him away. He flits between tending to you and Kagome… but he was here more often." Izayoi offered him another spoonful of water, but he shook his head.

"How is Lady Kagome?"

Dabbing his mouth dry with a tender touch, Izayoi took her time answering as she put away the bowl of water and spoon.

"She is recovering."

His expectant silence prompted her to continue.

"Lady Kagome fainted in the bath, just a few hours before you were found. She was unconscious for hours, until you were brought in. When she did wake up, she seemed not to remember that period of time when she was… afflicted." Izayoi meet the hooded gaze of Sesshoumaru's single eye and sighed. "Lady Kagome does not yet know of your sacrifice. She is weak and sleeps many hours a day. When she is well enough, she will ask questions. Sooner or later, she will find out what you have done for her. Inuyasha… cannot forgive himself."

"This is no fault of my brother's."

The smile on the human woman's face was thin and sad. "Kagome is his wife; it should have been his burden to seek her cure, not yours."

"Look at what they did to me, Mother… I am a daiyoukai, the most powerful of the Cardinal Lords, son of the Great Dog General… and yet they could cripple me. Inuyasha has not come to his full power; he would not have survived." Exhausted from speech, Sesshoumaru closed his eyes, chest heaving. He felt his stepmother's fingers run through his hair, and her other hand closed over his own remaining one. Her soft sobs reached his ears.

"If Inuyasha had perished, then he would have died in honour. He is ashamed, Sesshoumaru, that you must pay the price for Kagome's well-being."

"Mother," he murmured. "Please. I do what a king must do, for his subject, for his family, because I can."

Lady Izayoi could not say anything to refute that. A long silence stretched between them before the princess spoke again.

"Inuyasha is now certain that you love Kagome, and you did this out of your love for her."

Sesshoumaru sucked in his breath sharply and turned his face away. The princess ran her thumb over his knuckles and continued, speaking softly and slowly.

"He is contemplating... releasing... her when she has fully recovered. Then you -"

"No!" the sudden, harsh negation startled the Izayoi into silence. "No. I forbid it!" Forcing himself to calm down as his anger was making him dizzy, Sesshoumaru murmured, "Does her love her so little, that he would break her heart?"

"As much as he loves her, Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha loves his brother more. Had you said anything, given any indication about your interest, he would not have even pursued her hand…"

"What good would that do, Mother? Kagome can be ordered to be my wife, and she will do so in obedience to a royal decree, but that is all. Her heart is Inuyasha's; she does not love me more than a subject loves her king, or more than a sister does her brother."

"She can learn to lov-"

"Enough, Lady Izayoi. She is no chattel to be passed around. We shall speak no more of this," the icy tone arrested Izayoi's thoughts and words. Sesshoumaru was angry and aghast that his half-brother and stepmother would even contemplate such ideas. Deep inside, he knew that they wanted nothing but his happiness, yet that happiness could not come at the cost of Kagome's own. As if they all have not suffered enough of late.

"Forgive me, Lord Sesshoumaru. It will be as you wish," she murmured, bowing her head. Turning his palm over, Sesshoumaru curled his long, clawed fingers around her delicate hand.

"Mother, this is a sacrifice I am more than happy to make."

"Oh, Sesshoumaru," the princess sighed in resignation. Bending, Izayoi placed a soft kiss on the king's temple. "You are honour personified, Sesshoumaru. Your late mother would have been so proud of you."

"Be happy that she is well, and that I am alive. When I am out of the infirmary, I shall teach Inuyasha a lesson for daring to even think of such things." His statement won a watery smile from the princess. "Mother, I have asked the witches to afflict the same illness upon the sender of that evil magic."

Izayoi's eyes widened, then narrowed in righteous vindication. "Good," she said, nodding. Her gentle tone had a steel edge to it. "Then we shall know who our enemy is."

* * *

The sharp, agigated rustle of bedsheets jerked Inuyasha out of his sombre thoughts. Kagome was twisting about restlessly in her sleep. Fearing a return of the spell's effect, Inuyasha rose hastily from his seat by the window.

"Sesshou- _No! Stop!_" her murmur made the hanyou prince freeze, ice in his veins, heart plunging into his guts. _She was going to say his name._ For a split-second Inuyasha felt his heart crack, his jealousy rise and tasted bitter loss on his tongue. But her cry of "Onii-sama!" - called out in fear - carried him to her side instantly, the ephemeral, dark feelings subsiding.

"Kagome," he shook her gently. Kagome jerked awake.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome blinked in bewilderment. "Inuyasha!" The young woman propelled herself from her pillows, throwing her arms around her husband, burrowing into the security of his embrace.

"Shh…" Inuyasha whispered, rubbing Kagome's back as he waved away concerned attendants peering through a gap in the doorway. "Nightmare?"

"Yes," Kagome's voice was thick with emotion. "It was horrible… There was blood everywhere… and Onii-sama… he… they…" Kagome shuddered and swallowed a sob. "I saw two… two creatures cut off his arm… Onii-sama was awake. He was aware. But he didn't make a sound," Kagome began to sniffle, voice breaking. "He didn't make a sound, Inuyasha, not even when the tore his eye out…" In the course of her speech, Inuyasha had gone still and his mouth had turned dry. _How could she know, how could she dream it, the torture Sesshoumaru had undergone?_

Kagome pulled back to look at Inuyasha. "Sesshoumaru-sama is well, isn't he? It was _just_ a nightmare, isn't it, Inuyasha?"

Spirits above, he wanted to lie so badly to her. He wanted to tell her that Sesshoumaru had just finished holding court and was resting in his private chambers. He wanted to tell her that Sesshoumaru was at the dojo, doling out pain to his sparring partners. He wanted to tell her that Sesshoumaru was hunting in the royal woods… anything but the truth.

"Sesshoumaru… is resting," Inuyasha murmured at last. He ran gentle fingers through her tangled hair and blew a soft sigh through his lips.

"Can you take me to see him, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha swallowed, casting about for an excuse.

"He gave orders not to be disturbed," he said at last, avoiding her eyes. "And if I let you out of bed, he'll not be happy about it, Kagome." Gently, he guided her head to lay on his shoulder, adjusting his hold so that she could rest snugly against him. By and by, Kagome drifted off to sleep once again. Inuyasha contemplated his sleeping wife; her face was drawn and thin from her ordeal, but she was recovering, all thanks to Sesshoumaru. The hanyou prince held on to his sleeping wife, the distant, calm expression on his handsome face belying deep and, sometimes, dark thoughts.

_If I get my hands on the bastard who did this to us… I will tear him limb from. What would I give to have Kagome well and Sesshoumaru whole again!_

Slowly, Inuyasha laid Kagome down onto her futon, arranging the bedclothes around her lovingly. As the hours wore on, the prince tested the different plans he could execute. Eventually, he arrived at a satisfactory course of action. The timing, though… the timing had to be right. Sesshoumaru must be well enough to stand on his own feet again, but not well enough to prevent him from doing what he must do. Granted he would have no control over the results once the he executed his plans. Let the records show that he was not without honour, and that he did not shy away from paying back his debts.


End file.
